Unless you鈥檙e taking part in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, hockey isn鈥檛 the dominant sport for most Canadians during the middle of June. Australians, on the other hand, are in the middle of their winter season. So, it鈥檚 a good time for them to experience some elite hockey. A team of Canadians is helping to provide them with that experience, and a couple of Yorkton players are part of that team.
The 5th annual Ice Hockey Classic is taking place in Australia at the end of June.聽
Springside native Chad Nehring is one of the players representing Canada down under.
Nehring spent three seasons playing for the Yorkton Terriers. From there, he played NCAA, ECHL, CHL and now AHL. He spent the last hockey season with the Binghamton Senators in a two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators.聽
It鈥檚 his second year attending the tour. As he sat in the Saskatoon airport waiting for his plane to take off for Australia, he told Yorkton This Week that he was very excited.聽
鈥淚t was amazing last year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a trip for us to go there, play some hockey games, raise some money, and it鈥檚 a vacation for us as well.鈥�
The tour brings a team from Canada and a team from the USA to Australia to play several games in different cities, along with some Australian teams. In addition to showcasing top quality ice hockey, the 2017 Classic will raise awareness and funds for the StopConcussions Foundation in association with Nick Rushworth of Brain Injury Australia and Barry Munro of Shoot For A Cure.聽
StopConcussions was founded by former European player Kerry Goulet and ex-NHL players Keith and Wayne Primeau. StopConcussions is a concussion/neurotrauma educational and awareness platform for all sports, to address the growing trend of concussions in sports.
Because he was part of the tour last year, Nehring had a spot again this year if he wanted it. And he jumped at the chance.聽
鈥淢y schedule was open for this month, so fortunately I was able to go again. And I got to help with recruiting some players this year,鈥� said Nehring.聽
He said he鈥檚 familiar with about 75% of the players he鈥檒l be on the ice with, many of them being good friends of his. He said that helps when they鈥檙e in such a different spot.聽
Along with a roster stacked with AHL and NHL players, team Canada will be coached by Toronto Maple Leafs legend Darryl Sittler.聽
鈥淭oronto was one of my favourite teams, so getting to meet guys like that is very cool,鈥� said Nehring.聽
Alongside Nehring on his travels is Davis Vandane from Yorkton. Vandane played for Yorkton鈥檚 Midget AAA team and spent time with the Yorkton Terriers before playing in the WHL, CIS and the ECHL.聽
The first game of the tour will be played on Saturday, June 17 in Sydney. The following week team Canada will face off with team USA in Melbourne.聽
